


Ymir’s Cultivation

by TheSensationOfBeingAlive



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSensationOfBeingAlive/pseuds/TheSensationOfBeingAlive
Summary: To atone and counteract this new Abaddon, Ymir used the energy throughout the newly created world and replaced this energy with the people. The four elements of life. Every individual was different, acquiring one of the four elements energy. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. This gave the people power to fight back the supernatural creatures *Titans* and to take back their lands, to rejoice and to come together to defeat this common enemy.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Kudos: 9





	Ymir’s Cultivation

**Energy**

The most riveting, mysterious abstract concept known throughout our world. Energy is light, energy is life, energy is sound. Energy is always carried by something, usually in the form of movement. Energy is in the embodiment of every element, every living thing. When a living thing dies, full of energy, where does all that energy go? Does energy keep on converting from one form to another like a cycle or does it come to an end? It is said in the sacred scriptures that the Founder Ymir, _creator of the world_ , established the world with this flow of Energy, millions of years ago. The world now, a scorching hot ball of fire, accompanying rocky, uninhabitable terrain was gradually over time molded into the current world. A world where life can flourish and grow. Ymir molded the world and foundation of living things, and eventually people could live and prosper on the world. To live and experience pleasure and love, to form kinships and relations with one another, most  
of all to form happiness and friendships, bonds to never be broken. Of course, to establish these bonds and friendships, Ymir has to create _people._ Humans of the like, along with other living creatures. It all sounded perfect, almost beautiful. It is said that after the creation of the world, Ymir then began to mold the very people who would roam and scavenge the world. After the copious amount of time for the humans to establish themselves enough. Ymir sought to expand the lands and the vast amount of creatures sharing this prosperous land with them. Ultimately giving them more food to help them grow and learn. When molding these creatures, the Founder made a grave mistake. Inadvertently engendering problems for the inhabitants of this new world. In the midst of Ymir’s creations the molding of such creature,now known as Titan, or _The Titans_ would soon plague and roam the newly built world. Attacking the people specifically with no drive other than eating them. These monsters could not be killed easily either. Titans ranging from six to fifteen-meter class, would tower over any regular human and indulge upon sight of them. The humans fought back, even then they could not be killed, only by slicing the nape of their necks would deal the killing blow, which even then was nearly impossible for the newly established humans. Such an irrevocable mistake that would cost the life of millions and instead disregard the ideas of hope and peace with death and despair. To atone and counteract this new Abaddon, Ymir used the energy throughout the newly created world and replaced this energy with the people. The four elements of life. Every individual was different, acquiring one of the four elements energy. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. This gave the people power to fight back the supernatural creatures _Titans_ and to take back their lands, to rejoice and to come together to defeat this common enemy. Ymir was aware that giving power to such susceptible creatures had to be controlled, needed a leader, a beacon for the people to follow and believe in, to be the peace keeper of each power. In-turn creating such being known as the Avatar, master of all four-elements. The demise of the Titans was inevitable with such power now granted to the people. After many lives lost and the unstableness of _the world_ The Avatar's duty to master the four bending arts and use that power to keep balance among the four nations of the world, as well as between mankind and spirits.

Levi set the befouled, worn tome to his side, fitting the torn pages back into place after quickly glossing over the old pages. He narrowed his eyes on the cover of the book, which tilted ” _Ymir’s Cultivation_ ”

His tired eyes looked up at his mother, laying ever so still, unmoving on the battered old bed. With his remaining strength, Levi pushed the old book back under the bed. Giving a quick tug on his mother’s pale, very frail, almost skeleton looking arm. No response.

Soon after Levi would go back to his regular corner in the room, with his knees between his legs, he would sit there throughout the entirety of the day. At times he thought he could hear the susurrations from his mother, rather her calling his name. Although at this point Levi was so hungry he could’ve mistakenly heard the supposed whispers from his stomach. 

Days without food a only with a bowl of water he managed to collect from a dampening spot on the ceiling forming water droplets. Levi’s hair had grown out, since his mother’s health declined over the past few weeks and his sunken in blue-gray eyes were masked by the strands of hair that had grown long enough to cover part of his face. 

His body was far too skinny for his age, the equivalent of just skin and bones. He sits there and just waits. For what he does not know. He took a glare at the old book hidden under the bed and thought that if Ymir truly existed, this is not the future envisioned in the book, more-so a nightmare. 

As time went by, Levi became more desperate for water, his body forewarning him that soon dehydration and lack of food will cause his body to shutdown. Levi sees the dampened corner once again at the top of the ceiling. 

The numbing sound of the water striking the cold floor would bring a surge of arduous memories, memories on why he and his mother were living underground in the first place. It all started with those stupid books..

At first, it was made to believe they were there to atone for their sins. That the people of the fire nation brought upon the Titans to destroy the other nations of the world, contradicting the book of “Ymir’s Cultivation” going on to say that the fire nation share the same blood as the Titans and are an evil plague that must be eradicated from the world. The compromise was to take away all of their lands, making them despondent and decreasing the chance of them causing any further destruction by forcing the families into the underground. This was the closet they were going to get to hell. 

Someone has to put the blame on _someone_ that’s how the world works, or at least, that’s what Levi thought. Blaming the fire benders and the people of their nation. Someone had to pay for the loss of lives, for the destruction of the earth, no matter the cost. All it takes is for one person to claim it all to be true and the people will follow. The Fire Nation and the bending of fire itself was an easy target for the people to put the blame on, supposedly resembling death and destruction. _someone had to take the blame._

Levi didn’t see it this way though. 

When he watched his mother, on those long and cold dreaded nights, cold enough to make the people in the underground shiver, cold enough to make your bones ache, she would gather whichever miscellaneous items she could find, and start a small fire for the both of them. He watched the tamely lit fire with awe, both of them huddled together by the brightly lit flame. To Levi, it looked almost as if the flame was dancing. It was mesmerizing, watching it like he was in a trance, how could something so beautiful something so.. so full of life, really be the root of all evil. That fire is death, destruction, and dread. 

Then again, Levi didn’t see it that way. 

Levi saw the fire as life, it’s what keeps them alive. Fire is hope, Fire illuminates and brings warmth. But people tend to forget the good aspects and quickly look to the negatives. There can be so many positives, so many good things, great things that can happen. But one bad thing, one insignificance, can cause someone’s judgement to be clouded, only allowing their mind to see up to the clouds, but not think what is up beyond that. 

Now he is sitting in that same corner, without the warmth of the fire, without his mother. But with that same cold consuming darkness, that bone numbing pain of the cold. 

Nor Levi or his mother could learn the full potential of their bending capabilities, the other elemental nations forbade it. Seeing it as an act of treason to whoever dare bend in the presence of themselves or anyone at that. Resulting in death by whichever means necessary. Of course, this resulted in the mass killings of the fire benders, back when they were strong willed and would fight for their honor, even when it resulted in death. It’s not the fire itself that others were afraid of but of the sheer determination brought by their people. 

Though determination and will only last so long, especially against three other strong willed nations who viewed the fire benders as Devil bloods. You could say the Air-benders were neutral when it came to their views on the fire benders, but in the end they complied with the segregation of the fire nation, aiding and abiding by the idea they be sent to the underground, a dying race hopefully to be eradicated completely. 

Some days, when Levi went out with his mother in the underground to stock up on food, Levi would look up to the men guarding the staircase. Leading to their escape from this dark and dirty place, to see the sun glisten and glow, to feel the warmth for the very first time on his skin. Freedom. 

The Dai-Li were ruthless cutthroats. Agents of the Earth Monarch, in place to keep order of the people and other worldly affairs. It is said they have more authority over the very king, and oversee the state entirely. Rumors of their manipulation over the king and how they greatly influenced his actions proved to be true. They managed to change the people’s ideology by replacing there thoughts with theories about the differences between races and peoples. This was solely focused upon the eradication and enslavement of the fire benders. 

“Devil bloods” one of the Dai-Li scoffed at the top of there post. Watching and guarding their position. Two set of soldiers each at the top and bottom, the only way for anyone to escape or be freed had to get past _them_ first. The agents with a deep-seated aversion to the Devil bloods took this job to guard the staircase day and night. The agents earth bending capabilities were top-notch, making escape out of the underground futile, even with the most capable bending abilities. 

When Levi’s mother went down to the “underground market” to “stock up on food” she was really going to find whatever rations were left for Levi and her. Sometimes they’d go without food because it was too dangerous. Chaos would normally erupt throughout, their own people attacking one another for bread, water, what they could get their hands on that was supplied by the Dai-Li since the underground was established in Earth Kingdom territory. As expected they were supplied with the bare minimum, mostly supplied with stale bread that was too hard to chew and not much variety other then rotten vegetables. With this Levi’s mother waited, using force was pointless. Most of the people who broke out and defied the Dai-Li by fire bending to get their food was taken away, into the shadows where the blood-curdling screams would soon fade. 

With what she had, Levi’s mother made a fine soup that would usually last them long enough to get by the next couple days. Soon after getting ready for bed and tucking Levi in, she was hit hard with a rough fit of coughing. Levi’s eyes opened wide with concern. He was well aware of her getting sick but it startled him nonetheless, hearing her gasp for air as she shook her head, covered her mouth with her hands and waved away that she was okay. “Go back to sleep” she mouthed. After her, he whispered “I love you.” His grip on the bedsheets tightened. His hands shaking. Holding the doorway for support Levi’s mother weakly smiled at him. “I love you more, she said. “Goodnight Levi.” 

The next morning Levi found her unresponsive. 

Now as the days grow longer and start to fade into each other, there is nothing left for him. He can only succumb to the ever peacefully darkness that soon starts to surround him, that is, until, he heard the door open. 

“Heya kid, whatcha be-“ in the doorway the lanky man, with the most distinguishable hat shook his head and looked over to the bed. “Oh.” 

The man grabbed the top of his hat and held it tightly to his chest. “Kenny” Levi breathlessly mouthed. Looking at each other eye to eye. Both visibly distraught but seem to have an unfortunate understanding. “So this is what they call atonement, eh?” Kenny pushed up on one knee and positioned the hat back on his head, outstretching his hand to Levi. “C’mon we’re leaving, there’s no point in staying, Kuchel wouldn’t be pleased knowing I left my nephew for dead.” Kenny’s hand still outstretched waiting for Levi’s grasp “Whatta ya comin’ or what? I said there’s no point in staying, now get up and let’s go.” Levi was still visibly hesitating but soon enough was up on his two feet, Kenny stabling him. “W-a-... w-a-t-..” Levi struggling to utter a few words, his dry and scratchy throat constricting him. Kenny turned to face him puzzled “Water. There’ll be plenty of water and food once we get outta here, let’s go, Levi.” “But what about my... stuff.” Levi managed. “Books..”

**Author's Note:**

> (Avatar came out on Netflix!!) I hope you enjoyed reading, comments are much appreciated!


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